Consumers have been increasingly receptive to new personal washing systems that provide better skin care, greater refreshment or that generally led to a more pleasurable bathing and showering experience. Although toilet bars are still widely used because of their convenient form and simplicity, liquid products and more recently sheets have grown in popularity.
Consumers recognize that liquids provide excellent skin care and fragrance attributes. However, this product form does not lather well without the use of an implement such as a sponge or so-called pouf and without such an implement, liquids are not perceived as economical. Sheets in contrast, lather well but are generally single-usage forms and thus are primarily used in facial washing where the perceived benefits more readily justifies their higher cost.
Liquid and sheet personal washing forms have primarily been targeted to female consumers, and these forms are not so widely used by men who often prefer bars for their convenience and refreshment qualities.
Based on extensive research, the inventors have discovered a new cleansing form, namely a resilient composite composed of a foamable elastic semi-solid gel that at least partially encompasses a fibrous layer formed from a continuous network of bonded fibers. The foamable gel utilizes gelling agents that are either thermo-reversible or triggered to set by changes in environment and permits the use of a range of surfactants especially those that have heretofore been only suitable for liquids because of their high solubility in water.
These composites have the advantage that they can provide the benefits of a liquid, e.g., mildness and fragrance impact, with the simplicity and economical usage of a bar. Furthermore, the resilient composites can be manufactured in a variety of shapes including those of a traditional toilet bar and thus are appealing to male consumers. Surprisingly, the combination of the different sensory stimuli provided by the elastic semi-solid gel and fibrous layer has been found to be highly appealing to may consumers.
These and other advantages of the compositions disclosed herein will become clear from the description of the invention.
The following patents and publications have been considered:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,446 describes a plastic mesh pad or sponge containing a gelled cleaning composition including an alkali metal phosphate, a wetting agent, fatty acid soap, a chelating agent and a surfactant.
U.S. Pat No. 3,949,137 describes a gel-impregnated sponge composed of two layers: one layer is impregnated with a hardened gel material and one layer is an unimpregnated sponge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,506 describes a bar soap having a sponge core which is revealed after the soap bar is reduced to a sliver, said sponge core providing support and preventing breakage of the sliver thus reducing wastage.
U.S. Pat Application Publication No. 2003/0220212 A1 describes bar soap reinforced with a reinforcement member such as a mesh to prolong the usage of the bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,190, 079 describes a scrubbing soap bar composed of vegetable oil and glycerin into which is partially imbedded a thin fine-mesh netting that serves as a feature to facilitate grasping and holding the bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,225 relates to a bathing and cleansing article in the form a scrub brush specifically made to contain or hold a bar of soap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,550 describes a seamless fibrous, soap-filled pad in the form of an envelope that surrounds a solid soap, which is held in integral form by the entanglement of the fibers.
U.S. Pat Application Publication No. 2004/0033915 A1 relates to cleansing bars including a cleansing composition and a plurality of discrete elements (e.g., fibers) having a length to diameter ratio of from about 50 to 1 to about 100,000 to 1.
EP 1 266 599 A1 describes a solid cleanser holder composed of an apertured textured film surrounding a solid cleanser. The film reduces slip, exfoliates and enhances lather.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,328,131, 4,181,632, 4,207,198, and GB 1 551 587 describe several embodiments of elastic bars that include gelatin, one or more surfactants, and ingredients to manipulate the elastic properties of the composition (e.g., gel strength).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,750 describes a solid cosmetic composition used for topical application, e.g., a moisturizing stick, that includes gellan gum, at least one hydrocolloid and at least one fatty chain-including amphiphilic polymer.
GB 2 280 906 A describes a shaped toiletry product in the form of a gel that includes a gelling agent, preferably gelatin, water and at least one surfactant. Shaped, single-use bath gels, shampoos and shower gels are disclosed.
U.S. Pat Application Publication No. 2004/0097385 A1 describes viscoelastic cleansing gel compositions including anionic surfactant and a polysaccharide gelling agent. The gels are “jiggly” and are used to form shaped body washes and shampoos.
WO 99/42548 describes aqueous detergent compositions having an aqueous phase containing a foaming surfactant, a blend of kappa and iota carrageenan and water.
The present invention seeks improvements over deficiencies in the known art. Among the one or more problems addressed include developing a composite bar with excellent sensory properties, economy in use, mildness, and high lather.